Numerical Analysis and Experimental Study on Failure Process of Drilling and Blasting in Reinforced Concrete Columns

In blasting demolition projects of housing buildings, reinforced concrete columns serve as the primary load-bearing structural elements and consequently represent the most frequently targeted components for controlled demolition. The effectiveness of reinforced concrete column demolition through blasting operations plays a pivotal role in ensuring structural instability and controlling the overall collapse mechanism. The evolution of modern reinforced concrete columns, characterized by increased cross-sectional dimensions, higher reinforcement densities, and enhanced material strengths, has significantly elevated the technical complexity of the design of blasting parameters and the protection of flying rocks. The Particle Blasting Method coupled with the Finite Element Method(PBM-FEM) was employed to simulate the dynamic process of explosion impact loading and explosion gas escaping from the borehole through the high-speed motion collision of particles. Full-scale 1:1 physical model tests were conducted using industrial electronic detonators to accurately replicate the blasting demolition process of high-rise building structural members. The research reveals critical insights into the failure mechanisms and damage propagation characteristics of reinforced concrete columns under controlled demolition conditions. The results show that the explosion gas escapes from the orifice and reduces the utilization rate of explosive energy due to the limited constraint effect of the blocking material on the side of the blast hole. The severity of concrete spalling on the surface of the column is left and right sides > front side > back side. The direction of the minimum resistance line is the main direction to induce concrete damage and throwing.